


i fell in your arms tonight

by SATURNAILIA



Category: Blaseball (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, cw for like fatalism, this ones kinda heavy gamers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28222125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SATURNAILIA/pseuds/SATURNAILIA
Summary: “And I will see you again even if you do die.” He holds his hand out to Boyfriend for them to take.“Promise.” Boyfriend takes his hand and pulls themself to their feet. “I Promise.”--They then reach down and offer Boyfriend a hand. “Fresh breath?”They take PolkaDot’s hand. “Here we come.”--A character study into two of Boyfriend Monreal's best friends and Boyfriend's last night on the material plane.
Relationships: Boyfriend Monreal & PolkaDot Patterson, Boyfriend Monreal & Pudge Nakamoto
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	i fell in your arms tonight

**Author's Note:**

> As a little preface, Boyfriend has the Unstable modifier throughout this fic and to me, it is basically like having a magic low-grade panic attack, Boyfriend's semi-verbal dialogue is based on my own semi-verbal speech during panic attacks. 
> 
> Also it's kinda heavy because it's hard to talk about missing teammates and knowing you're going to die.
> 
> song title is from: Arms Tonite - Mother Mother

Season 7 is the best season on record for the Kansas City Breath Mints. A winning record of 60-39, placing them at 2nd in the entire ILB and 1st in the MIld League. Fresh out of their emo ‘Death Mints’ phase and blessed with a brand new lineup order, this was the season the Mints were going to make a name for themselves. 

Or at least they tried to, that is.

They had fought hard, greatly helped by a batting lineup that was very dinger heavy on the front end and designed to allow for maximal blase stealing. They held their own against the Tigers and the Talkers, a feat less herculean after the events of 32 & 33, but a feat nonetheless. They’d been the first team to face Jaylen too, four games, seven hit by pitches between six people. Of course they thought nothing of it until Ruby Tuesday, but after that they had various amounts of palpable fear. 

They make it into the playoffs. 

During a game barely a week before the end of the regular season, Intern Interim Commissioner Prime Minister Parker MacMillan III’s disinterested yet formal voice rings throughout the empty field at the edge of town, “Congrats, Kansas City Breath Mints! You are going to the Playoffs!” 

They carry on through the rest of the season in a stupor of untouchable pride. A pride not unlike the Tigers of season 3 in that finals series against the Millenials. Everyone knows of the blow to their hubris during those playoffs, the Mints simply hope it will not happen to them. No one is immune to Incineration, the Mints know this, their standing tributes to beloved Whit Steakknife and Eduardo Ingram, a clear reminder. 

Days 5, 35, 85, and 95, says the schedule.

Dickerson Morse, Stew Briggs, Marquez Clark, Grey Alvarado, Boyfriend Monreal, Lenny Spruce, Grey Alvarado again.

The first four hit by pitches passed without incident, as had hit by pitches on other teams. Of course, there were still ten dead that could not be ignored, but the MInts were hopeful, and truly believed they would not add to that number. Day 95, Jaylen Hotdogfingers hits Boyfriend Monreal, Lenny Spruce, and Grey Alvarado with a pitch. 

Boyfriend Monreal does not have precognition, nor are they omniscience or nihilist. However, they still know that one of the coming four days will be the day they die. 

Their speech is a little garbled and twisty in the locker room after that game. Still, they manage to ask, “Should we celebrate? Final stretch and then playoffs. Cause enough.” 

They smell the minty cloud of smoke that comes from Leach as she lets out a heavy sigh after a long vape hit. “You know what, that sounds like a great idea boyfriend.” She makes a small sound, almost like laughter. “I could use a night to cut loose, in all honesty.” 

“Cut loose, always, you are.” Boyfriend laughs

“You’re just jealous of my vape tricks.” Leach returns. 

“So maybe Ingram, so maybe.”

\--- 

It’s a small affair. Not many more than 25 people are there, all of the Mints, a Moist Talker or two, Oscar’s husband. Most importantly, is Boyfriend’s plus-one for the night, Pudge Nakamoto. Boyfriend brings partners along to Mints parties all the time, but today it’s their best friend of way too many years for either to count. 

Where Boyfriend Monreal was everyone’s boyfriend, the eternal lover, Pudge Nakamoto is everyone’s good friend, a friend to cry with, a shoulder to lean on. 

Pudge Nakamoto has been Boyfriend Monreal’s best friend for longer than the memory of any of their peers’ ancestors. Where Boyfriend would be writing a love letter, Pudge would be in turn, helping them rhyme words. Vice versa, where Pudge would be making a friendly meal to console someone, Boyfriend would be in turn with recommendations of cheesecake they’ve had on a date before. 

Even when they can’t manage to parse the thoughts in their head to clear speech, Pudge understands what Boyfriend is telling him. Such is the communication of friends who have known each other for centuries.

The party isn’t too loud, the Mints are no Dale, they can party, but given that it's happening in a dirt parking lot of a blaseball stadium in the Heartland countryside, it’s not really a rager. For someone experiencing a magic hit-by-pitch induced eldritch panic attack; however, it can get to be a bit much. Somewhere between Haunted and Taking Over Me on Leach’s full karaoke rendition of Evlanescence’s Fallen album, Boyfriend quietly slips away from the party. They walk around for a little bit before sitting on the embankment of the little creek that runs through the outfield. 

They are undisturbed for nearly 20 minutes as they sit there and absentmindedly sift through the sand. They’ve found three skipping stones, half a geode, some petrified wood and about 5 different necklaces that they assume were probably theirs once. They’re busy washing off the gemstone of a small signet ring when Pudge’s calm and comforting voice startles them out of their haze. “There you are, are you doing okay?” 

“Oh, uh, party loud, yeah? Need quiet.”

“Yeah, I understand. Plus, you can only listen to so much of Leach trying to be Amy Lee.”

“Polkadot do Queen yet?”

“Zavala or Patterson?”

“They came? Patterson did?”

“Yeah, they didn’t seem all too thrilled with the party atmosphere either.”

“Parties Loud, them too.”

“I gathered. You should say hi before they head back to Halifax.”

“I will.” They smile a barely there crooked smile. “Talk to you first. Sit with me?”

Pudge sits on the bank next to Boyfriend and picks up a small handful of sand. “What did you want to talk about Boyfriend?”

“The future, our team.”

He laughs a little, “It’s your team, I never joined.”

“Would you?”

“Boyfriend, the only way out is incineration, one of you would have to die for me to join.”

“Yes. I know. But still. Would you?” 

“Yeah, I think I would. Dunno what the team would think of me.”

“I’ll miss, very sad, them and me.”

“What do you mean you'll miss them, seasons not over and like hell they'd let you get stolen by blessing.”

Boyfriend lets out a small, hollow laugh. “She never misses, I'll go too, like her.”

“Like Jaylen?”

“Who else?”

“It's only 4 days! I believe you can survive them!!!” Pudge's voice betrays him, if only for a second, the grief behind his words makes it clear he knows he’s lying. 

“Opposite of Tillman, his little, uh, ego phrase.” They laugh dryly, “Boyfriend Loses.”

“It’s exactly that though, for Tillman, ego. He knows he doesn’t win, and I know you won’t lose.”

“And if I do?”

“I will take your spot on the team, for better or for worse.” Pudge slowly gets to his feet and drops the sand he was holding. “And I will see you again even if you do die.” He holds his hand out to Boyfriend for them to take. 

“Promise.” Boyfriend takes his hand and pulls themself to their feet. “I Promise.”

\---

In the interim of Boyfriend leaving and returning to the party, Leach has yielded the stage to PolkaDot Zavala, who has rallied most of the crowd into singing song after song from the Queen’s Greatest Hits Karaoke CD she keeps in her equipment bag with all the other bits and bobbles she finds places. Of course, not everyone is up to the revelry, former Queen Of The Night, Leach Ingram, has gone off to sulkingly ride her motorcycle off into the sunset as she often does. Farrell Seagull of the Garages, one of the few who accepted the open invitation to join the party, was sitting at a bar stool next to Eizabeth Guerra, presumably flirting, or possibly exchanging god-killing strats. The most standoffish person that Boyfriend notices, however, is PolkaDot Patterson. 

At the far back of the party PolkaDot Patterson leans against the storage shed which is aptly labeled 'Fresh Stuff' in neon green spray paint. Their long dark hair is coiled into a hasty approximation of a bun. Though they had just pitched a game at Gleek Arena earlier that night, they forewent their Moist Talkers uniform for a more casual blue-green sweater vest over a black long sleeve button up. They stay there, staring off into the middle distance, until Boyfriend catches their attention. "Hey Boyfriend. I was worried you were playing hooky to a party you threw." They smile, looking much less intimidating than they did before. 

“Hi Dottie.” Boyfriend gives a little wave before making a broad gesture at the crowd. “Got loud, y’know?”

“Ah yeah, I get that. Are you okay otherwise?” 

They absentmindedly place one of their hands on the opposite shoulder before wincing and pulling their hand away in pain, as if there was a fresh wound there they had forgotten about. “I, uh, mostly.” 

“Right, hit-by-pitch. Um, is the party still too loud for you?” PolkaDot asks, they have looked down at their hands where they are slowly pressing the pad of their thumb to the tips of their other four (currently visible) fingers.

“Little bit.” Where the blinking of Boyfriend’s eyes is usually uniform and patterned, their blinking has now turned haphazard and anxious. 

“Actually, um, can we go talk away from the party? As much as I missed Zavala’s singing, the karaoke and all the people is a little too much.” 

“Little treasures on the bank, I’ll show you.”

“I’d love to see them, old friend.” 

\---

About 30ft away from the shed, PolkaDot starts the conversation back up. “Was this party a final farewell?” 

“Not. No, didn’t intend, no.”

“There’s only four days left, you could survive.”

“Odds of that?”

“Miniscule, sure, but have hope, please.”

“I’ll try. Uh,  sorry" Boyfriend stops dead in their tracks, as if they just realized what they had said. 

"Don’t be." PolkaDot notices Boyfriend halt and stops walking as well before turning to face them. 

"I will," they stop talking for a second to collect their thoughts again, "miss you." They start wringing their hands a little. 

They gently grab hold of Boyfriends hands. "I’ll miss you too Boyfriend, and hey, say hi to Workman for me" 

Boyfriend immediately closes the gap between them by enveloping PolkaDot in a tight hug. "Of course." The clouds of eyes that usually surround their face and hair start to disperse, creating a terrifying yet welcoming in a way twisting mass of eyes above and around the hug.

“Thank you.” PolkaDot hugs back just as tightly, little dots floating off their face and hair, mixing with the cacophony of eyes nearby. The two just stand there locked in a warm knowing embrace. 

“Hairs longer.” Boyfriend eventually breaks the silence. 

“Hm?” They lift their head a little from where they had been resting it on Boyfriend’s shoulder. “Oh yeah, I never found anyone in Halifax who could cut it as well as you did for the team in season one.” 

“Can braid it?”

“Is that a ‘can it be braided’ or a ‘can I braid your hair’?” They laugh.

“Yes.” 

“Yeah I think it’s braidable, if you wanna try to, I think that’d be lovely.”

“Sit down, sand is soft today, good texture.”

“Well if you say it’s a good texture, who am I to argue?” PolkaDot smiles and does a little bow as they sit down in the sand. 

“Fool maybe?” Boyfriend laughs in turn as they sit down behind them. 

“Me? A fool? Never.” They chuckle and crack their back.

“I’m take out bun now.” Boyfriend warns before gently undoing the messy bun PolkaDot’s hair is currently in.

“You don’t have to announce every step, I trust you.”

“I know, also know you don’t like much hair touch sometimes.” They slowly run their fingers through the soft black hair. 

“Thank you for caring.” 

“Least I could do, friend.” They slowly split the hair into three equal sections. 

“Do the rest of them still let you do their hair?” 

“Sometimes, we're not the same mints anymore, though.” Boyfriend starts to slowly plait PolkaDot’s hair. Right over center, left between the two, gently pull taut, repeat. 

“Yeah, I miss you guys everyday I’m in Halifax, though. If I had the choice to come back I would.” 

“Throw you a quiet party.” They’re about ¾ of the way through the braid now.

“Yeah…” 

“The minty way,,, is always in your heart.” they braid the last few strands and start tying off the braid.

“That it is.” 

“Braid done.” They say with a small pat on PolkaDots back. 

“I should go get a flight back to Halifax soon anyway.” They start to stand up. “I like seeing you again.” Upon fully standing up they crack their back again. They then reach down and offer Boyfriend a hand. “Fresh breath?”

They take PolkaDot’s hand. “Here we come.”

During Season 7, Game 96, on 9/18/2020 at 12:16:09pm Central Standard Time, A Debt was collected. 

Rogue Umpire incinerated Breath Mints hitter Boyfriend Monreal! Replaced by Pudge Nakamoto. 

**Author's Note:**

> as always friends, you can find me at @rosalindursula on tumblr or in the mild low discord


End file.
